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^^m^-  S0,9;/^ 


1792—1892, 


TAMWORTll,  M-:\V  UAMPSlllRl- 


W.  B.  HIDDEN.  M.  D.        BALTIMORE, 


REV.     SAMUEL     HIDDEN. 


F 


TAMWORTH,  N.  H. 


Ever}-  Town,  City,  State  and  Nation  has  some  epoch 
or  turning  point  in  its  history  from  which  its  tem- 
poral and  spiritual  progress  dates,  while  Providence 
points  out  the  right  man  to  accomplish  the  great 
work.  Such  an  event  and  union  occurred  when 
Rev.  Samuel  Hidden  was  ordained  as  minister  of 
the  town  of  Tamworth,  N.  H.,  on  the  famous  "Ordi- 
nation Rock,''  September  12,  1792.  The  dav  seemed 
to  smile  on  the  proceedings  and  made  the  people 
hap])y,  as  onl}-  an  early  autumnal  dav  can,  when 
abundant  harvests  and  forests  foreshadow  a  comfort- 
able winter  to  such  hardy  pioneers. 

From  all  the  surrounding  towns  came  people  of 
all  ages,  in  home-spun  and  home-made  clothing,  on 
foot  and  horse,  guided  by  spotted  trees,  fifteen  or 
twentv   miles,  to  witness   the   event  which    was    to 


1  n^p.^c>'^ 


make  "  the  wilderness  a  fruitful  field  "  and  cause 
"  the  Rose  of  Sharon  "  to  blossom  in  their  own 
borders. 

When  the  da\'  was  far  spent,  in  an  orchard  near 
b}'  the  rock,  discussing  the  question  of  baptism,  the 
time  and  method  of  administration  and  the  quantity 
of  water  to  be  used,  &c.,  Mr.  Hidden  proposed  that 
"we  exercise  all  due  candor  and  benevolence  in  con- 
descension to  each  other's  '  infirmities  '  ;  that  none 
should  be  considered  offenders  for  acting  agreeably 
to  the  dictates  of  their  own  consciences  and  no  form 
of  baptism  should  be  a  bar  to  Christian  communion 
and  fellowship/'  At  length  Airs.  William  Eastman 
came  into  the  council  and  declared,  with  great  energy 
and  decision,  ''  Mr.  Hidden  shall  be  ordained  to-day." 
And  it  was  so.  The  council  accepted  the  proposal 
and  the  joy  was  unbounded.  "  The  people  kneeled 
on  the  ground  and  gave  thanks  to  God,  while  tears 
of  gladness  flowed  freely."  Christianity  has  wrought 
great  reforms,  but  in  uon-essentials  the  Christians 
of  to-day  are  much  less  inclined  to  overlook  each 
other's  "infirmities''  than  was  this  primitive  church 
and  pastor.  The  council,  with  the  pastor-elect, 
ascended  the  old  rock,  whose  environment  it  taxes 
the  imagination  to  depict.  In  the  midst  of  a  dense 
forest,  at  that  hour  when  everything  that  has  life 
voices  its  eventide  praise  to  the  Great  Creator  and 
minifies  harmoniously  with  the  evening  breeze 
among  the  leaves  of  the  forest  and   the  singing  of 


SWIFT      RIVER     VIEW. 


the  brook,  all  constituting  nature's   orchestra,  and 
led   b}-   the   common    instinct    to    praise;    with    the 
great  rock  for  a  pulpit,  the  town   for  the  floor  to  the 
house,  the  mountains,  like  those  round  about  Jeru- 
salem, for  the  walls  of  the  house,  and  the  canopy  of 
heaven  for  a  roof,  the  impressiveness  of  the   scene 
can    be    pictured    only   b}^   the    exercise   of  a   vivid 
imagination.    The  people,  clad  in  garments  as  prim- 
itive  and   varied    in    color   and   texture   as  the  sur- 
rounding forest,  gathered  about  the  rock,  completing 
the   picture.     Would   that  we  could   reproduce  that 
charming    scene:    those    upturned    faces,    strong   in 
resolution,  inured  to  hardship,  with  eyes  full  of  hope, 
longing   for      "  the   words   of   life,"    were    they   not 
caught    in    the    camera    of   divine   love,  only  to   be 
visible    to    us    in    the    flashlight   of  etcrnit}'  ?     The 
ordination    exercises    were    of   necessity    brief,    and 
described  as  intenseU'  interesting.     From  this  small 
beginning    on    the    great   rock   503    united  with   this 
church  during  Mr.  Hidden's  ministry  and  56  pastors 
and    teachers    went    out    from    it    who    received   the 
directing    impulse    of  life    from    his    ])reaching  and 
teaching.      Mr.     Hidden's     early     en\ironnient     and 
experiences,  his  great   thirst   for  knowledge,  vicissi- 
tudes  as    a   soldier  and    sailor    in    the  war   for  inde- 
])endence,    as    a    school    and    music    teacher,   in   his 
struggle    with    po\ertv,    working    his    wa\-    through 
Dartuiouth    College,    gave    him    great    strength    of 
character  and  power  to  overcome  the  antagonisms  of 


life,  and  a  knowledge  of  human  nature  and  synipath}'- 
with  struggling  humanity,  that  made  his  personal 
influence  over  those  about  him  so  great. 

The  "dreamer  bo}'  "  thus  b}*  force  of  environment 
became  the  rock — Samuel,  not  Peter — upon  which 
this  church  was  built,  and  from  which  has  flowed  so 
many  streams  of  ''  living  water  ''  to  thirsty  souls  in 
our  land. 

What  wonder  that,  when  this  gigantic  human  oak 
which  had  braved  so  nian\^  storms,  had  become  plant- 


RESIDENCE     OF     MRS       NATHANIEL     HUBBARD. 


ed  on  the  "Rock  of  Ages,"  "he  came  into  a  wilderness 
and  left  it  a  fruitful  Held?"  Mr.  Hidden  was  an 
enthusiastic  optimist.      Xo  cloud   long  darkened   his 


lO 

horizon.  His  patriotism  and  optimism  are  well 
illustrated  in  the  following,  written  after  enlistment, 
when  about  i8  years  of  age,  to  the  lady  he  subse- 
quently married  : 

A    WAR   S()N<;. 

Come  all  ye  sons  of  teiiijief^t  ^^tea(i.  coiiu',  hark  to  warV  alarm  ; 
Leave  imports  and  jilays  ami  holidays,  ami  haste  away  to  arms. 
A  sol<lier  is  a  gentleman,  his  honor  is  his  life. 
And  he  that  won't  stand  by  his  jxist,  will  ne'iT  stand  hy  his  wife. 

Kor  love  and  honor  are  the  same,  or  else  so  well  allied. 

That  neither  can  exist  alone,  Imt  flourish  side  by  side. 

So  fare  ye  well,  sweethearts,  awhile,  ye  smilinir  <iirls,  adieu, 

.\nd  when  we've  drove  tlu'st'  doirs  away,  Ave'U  kiss  it  out  with  you. 

The  sprin<r  is  uj),  the  winter's  <_Mine,  the  lields  arc  <rrecn  and  <ray, 
And  all-invitinir  honor  calls,  away,  my  hoys,  away; 
To  shady  tents,  hy  cooliuii-  streams,  with  hearts  so  (irm  and  free. 
We'll  toss  the  cares  of  life  away  in  son<rs  of  liberty. 

No  forei<:n  kin;r  shall  L'ive  us  laws,  nor  llritish  tyrants  reiLMi. 
I'or  independence  makes  us  free,  and  independence  we'll  maintain. 
We'll  charLic  (jui'  foes  from  post  to  post,  attack  their  works  and  lines, 
<  >!•  by  some  well  laiil  stratn*icm,  we'll  make  them  all  liurLToynes, 

And  when  the  wais  ;ire  over,  boys,  then  down  we'll  sit  at  ease  ; 
We'll  |ilow  and  sow  .  we'll  reaji  and  mow.  an<l  live  just  as  we  please, 
i;acli  heai'ty  lad  shall  take  his  lass,  all  shininLi-  like  a  star, 
An<l  in  her  Milter  arms  fori^et  the  dauLM'rs  of  the  war, 

'I'he  risiuLT  world  shall  sing  of  us  a  thousaml  years  to  come. 
And  til  their  children's  children  tell  the  wdnder>  we  have  done, 
('lime,  honest  fellows.  her<''s  my  hand,  my  heart,  my  very  soul, 
With  all  the  sonL;s  of  liberty,  good  fortune  and  the  bowl. 

A  nionunient  was  ])laced  upon  the  rock  September 
12,  1S62,  bv  a  L^randson  bearing  his  name,  when 
Rev.  K/.ra  K.  Adams,  D.  I).,  delivered  the  foUowing 
oration  : 


^''Friends  a7id  Fellow  Citizciis  : 

"  Toward  this  day  your  minds  have  long  thought- 
fully, hopefully  turned.  It  is  a  happiness  to  the 
people  of  Tamworth  and  of  the  neighboring  town- 
ships to  celebrate  such  an  occasion,  to  recount 
together  the  past  and  link  themselves  anew  and 
more  hrml}-,  if  that  were  needful,  to  the  origin  of 
their  present  social  and  religious  pre-eminence. 

"Nor  is  it  less  joyous  to  us,  who  come  up  from  the 
plain,    from    the    city,    from  the   places   of  political 


MOUNTAIN     VIEW. 


strife  and  commercial  friction,  where  the  wheels  of 
life  grate  and  grind  against  each  other  for  want  of 
the  generous  oil  of  charity,  from  the  central  places 
of  power,  where    care    sits    on    the  brow   and   agonv 


12 

wastes  the  heart,  and  from  the  hot  fields  of  battle, 
on  which  brothers  bleed  and  the  qnestion  is  decided 
whether  we  shall  keep  or  lose  the  inheritance 
bequeathed  to  us  by  the  glorious  dead  ;  to  stand  in 
the  shadow  of  these  old  mountains,  listen  to  '  wood 
notes  wild/  look  on  the  streams  as  they  run  in  their 
beneficent  mission  to  the  sea  ;  to  take  in  the  lessons 
of  this  chang'ing  foliage,  to  grasp  the  hand  of  honest 
labor  and  refresh  our  eyes  with  a  view  of  the  true 
sources  of  national  mind,  virtue  and  hope.  It  is 
worth  a  journcv  from  the  most  distant  shore  to 
1)reathe  this  air,  to  lift  our  eyes  to  these  pillars  of 
heaven  and  crown  bv  our  transactions  here  a  history 
of  sevcntv  vears.  We  may  almost  hear,  in  the 
words  of  the  minstrel,  the  voice  of  Ciod  putting  to  us 
the  solemn  cpiestion  : 

■•  •  ( 111.  Imw  (•:iii>t  the  111  I'd  11)11 1  ICC  I  he  hidden  store- 

<  tf  cliariii>  thai    Natui'c  In  licr  vnlary  yields   - 
■|'hc  warliliii'^  won  Hand-,  the  re-oimdiii'^'  shores. 

'I'lic  iioiiip  ofuroNcs  and  i:ariiiliire  of  lields. 
And  all  that  echoe>  to  the  jioni]!  ot'e\eii  : 

All  thai  the  w liand's  -hcltcriii--  1mi:-,mii  shield-^. 

And  all  the  di'cail  ina'jnilicence  ol'hcaNcn 

(  )li.  how  caii>t  iliMii  renounce  and  hope  to  he  I'or-iven  '.'  ' 

"  W'c  arc  licrc  to  consecrate  this  marble  to  the 
mcmorv  of  a  great  and  good  man.  To  })lacc  among 
these  hills — themsehes  undving  mementoes  of  his 
labors,  his  \irtucs  and  his  pra\'ers— a  silent,  endur- 
ing cenotaph,  that  all  who  ])ass  this  wa\'  mav  read 
the  name  that  hallows  it  and  l)c  reminded  of  no 
or{linar\-    worth. 


13 

''  In  this  work  of  our  hands  we  pay  tribute  to  filial 
piety,  for  no  other  son  ever  felt  or  demonstrated  a 
deeper  self-sacrificing  devotion  to  parental  want. 
From  the  toil  of  months  and  years  he  laid  all  his 
gains  on  the  board,  which  the  hands  of  a  mother 
spread  and  the  lips  of  a  father  blessed.  We  honor 
consistent,  personal,  modest  godliness  ;  for  no  man 
of  his  time  stood  before  the  people  of  our  State  with 
more  convincing  proof  of  that  divine  endowment. 
We  pav  homage  to  mind,  which,  while  it  grasped 
with  intuitive  vigor  subjects  of  philosophic  thought 
and  academic  culture,  was  equally  at  home  among 
the  deeds  of  history,  in  classic  lore,  in  the  glories  of 
poetrv  and  sentiment  and  in  the  amenities  of  social 
life.  We  commemorate  the  spirit  and  the  deeds  of  a 
lofty  patriotism  which,  l)orn  in  his  soul  among  the 
first  warm  passions  and  glowing  aspirations  of 
youth,  grew  into  fruition  on  his  country's  war-fields 
and  on  her  seas.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  years  he 
desired  his  muster,  in  accordance  with  an  old  militia 
law,  which  had  been  too  much  neglected,  to  procure 
fi)r  him  a  musket,  with  the  stipulated  amount  of 
powder  and  balls,  with  l)av()uet,  kua])sack,  cartridge- 
l)()x  and  flints. 

''Tliis  ])ctiti()U  was  not  heeded.  At  lengtli  the 
gallant  1)()v  managed,  1)\-  additional  labor,  to  ])rocure 
the  coveted  ecjuipment.  Me  at  once  showed  it  to  his 
master,  saving,  'What  I  lia\e  earned  1  niav  use; 
this  shall  make  the  Ih'itish   do*'s  howl.'      At  the  aue 


_  H 

of  twenty-one  he  had  enlisted  four  different  times 
and  served  through  stipulated  periods  of  the  war, 
having  distinguished  himself  in  all,  especially  in  the 
battle  of  Stillwater,  when  Burgoyne  surrendered  his 
whole  army  as  prisoners  of  war. 

"  His  last  enlistment  was  on  board  the  ship  Pil- 
grim, commissioned  b}'  the  State  of  Massachusetts, 
his  native  State,  to  harass  British  commerce.  A 
few  days  after  the  sailing  of  the  Pilgrim  she  fell  in 
with  the  British  brig  Alfred,  which  she  captured,  and 
Hidden  was  sent  into  Salem  with  the  prize.  We  erect 
a  monument  to  affections  most  lively  and  pure,  to  a 
heart  that  beat  in  generous  sympathies  with  all  who 
suffered  and  sinned,  giving  electric  power  to  the  utter- 
ances of  the  pulpit,  to  every  word  spoken  in  private  life, 
to  every  line  which  flowed  from  his  pen,  to  his  prayers 
and  praises,  his  persuasions  and  his  rebukes. 

"  In  all  these  his  people  and  his  family  felt  the 
gush  of  a  fountain  flowing  up,  not  for  its  own  dem- 
onstration, but  for  the  happiness  of  others,  as  the 
rills  flow  out  from  these  mountain  steeps,  giving 
])irlh  to  the  spring  verdure  and  summer  liloom, 
making  the  valleys  jubilant  with  springing  grass 
and  the  U])lands  to  deck  themselves  in  the  glor}'  of 
harvests.  Rearing  this  stone  to  the  memorv  of  liim 
whose  name  it  bears,  we  honor  labor  ;  for  not  with 
the  head  only,  but  with  his  hands,  did  he  work  in 
these  granite  fields,  causing  them  to  teem  with 
abundance,  and  making  the  wilderness  and  solitary 
place  glad  for  him. 


MIDDLE     WANALANCET     FALLS. 


i6 

''  He  caused  the  music  of  labor  to  ring  from  these 
rocks,  to  miugle  with  the  song  of  the  robin  and  with 
the  roar  of  the  mountain  winds.  Like  Oberlin,  he 
toiled  with  his  people,  demonstrating  the  power  of 
Christianity  over  the  dumb  and  rigid  earth.  And 
at  this  da}-,  when  in  the  deadly  strife  so  many  brave 
men  have  met  to  vindicate  the  honor  of  labor  against 
the  imagined  glory  of  a  slave  system,  it  is  a  refresh- 
ment. The  venerable,  holy  man  whose  memory  we 
so  fondly  cherish  here  had  character  ;  he  was  origi- 
nal, strong,  tender,  full  of  sympathy  with  nature, 
with  truth,  with  sorrow,  with  greatness  of  thought 
and  of  soul.  The  people  who  dwelt  in  these  towns 
looked  U])  to  him,  and  were  overshadowed  by  him, 
while  their  lia])piest  hours  were  spent  in  his  pres- 
ence. His  greatness  was  not  like  that  of  the  (lothic 
temple,  exaggerated  to  the  eye  by  giving  length  and 
height  to  a  narrow  nave,  ])ut  like  that  of  St.  Peter's 
in  Rome,  whose  grand  dome,  filled  with  statues  and 
adorned  with  richest  art,  seems  to  stoop  to  the 
l)eh()l(lcr,  and  conciliate  where  its  \astness  would 
olherwisc  oxci'power  him.  \\  c  are  drawn  to  such  a 
mind;  it  is  fresh,  strong,  original.  Our  tiioughts 
bloom  and  n])en  in  its  beams.  It  is  to  such,  and 
near  such,  ;is  (loclhc  said,  'that  thoUL^lUs  come,  like 
blessed  eliildrcn.  trom  the  |)rcsencc  ol  (jod.' 

'"v^aid  one  who  knew  him,  and  knew  also  how  to 
(U-liiicatc  character:  'There  was  a  decision,  a  daring, 
an  untameableness  in  the  structure  ot  his  mind  e\en 


17 

ill  boyhood,  combined  with  a  tone  of  authority  to 
command,  and  a  talent  in  the  exercise  of  these  qual- 
ities, to  which  the  minds  of  his  associates  yielded  in 
implicit  subjection.  Fear  of  consequences  never 
entered  into  his  view;  opposition,  particularh'  if 
accompanied  with  anything  like  severity  or  oppres- 
sion, awakened  unrelenting  resistance.  Yet  this 
bold,  untameable  spirit  was  allied  to  a  noble  and 
generous  disposition.  There  was  a  magnificence  in 
his  mind.  It  was  too  noble  to  have  recourse  to 
other  means,  or  to  aim  at  other  ends,  than  those 
which  he  avowed,  and  too  intrepid  not  to  avow  those 
which  he  did  entertain  so  far  as  might  be  required 
or  expedient.  Notwithstanding  this  trait  of  char- 
acter, he  possessed  a  deep  sympath}',  which  sprang 
less  from  that  softness  and  sensibility  which  are  the 
ornament  of  the  female  character,  than  from  the 
generosity  of  his  disposition.  He  would  have  all 
men  happ}-,  and  it  gratified  his  generous,  noble 
nature  to  ease  the  burdens  of  suffering  man.'  And, 
we  mav  add,  when  these  qualities  became  so  many 
Christian  virtues  they  constituted  a  character  at 
once  commanding  and  gentle,  filling  men  with  awe, 
and  vet  winning  them  to  grateful  confidence  and 
love.  We  recogiii/e  by  this  memorial  an  instance  of 
distinguished  success  in  the  ministry  of  the  gospel. 
"Father  Hidden  possessed  C|ualities  which  ensure 
success  in  anv  calling,  especially  in  the  work  of 
pastor  and   preacher.      Along  with   his  genuineness 


i8_ 

of  character,  his  stern  purpose,  his  vigorous  under- 
standing, knowledge  of  human  nature  and  solid 
sense,  he  had  a  large  and  familiar  acquaintance  with 
the  Scriptures,  fervent  piet3^  ^^^  earnest  soul,  strong 
assurance  of  faith,  love  for  his  work  and  for  his 
people,  a  studious  habit,  adaptation  to  the  varied 
circumstances  in  which  he  was  placed,  abounding 
wit,  a  facult}'  for  governing  men,  a  cheerful  bearing, 
the  spirit  of  contentment,  a  clear,  strong  voice,  deep 
feeling,  which  spoke  in  his  features,  his  gestiires 
and  his  tears,  and  a  soul  of  song  which  mellowed  his 
severity  and  charmed  those  whom  his  sterner 
attributes  had  awed.  If  these  endowments  would 
lead  us  to  expect  success  in  au}-  man,  actual  history 
furnishes  us  with  their  complete  realization  in  point 
of  fact.  For  surely  he  did  succeed  who,  in  the  course 
of  a  ministry  of  forty  years,  was  blest  with  at  least 
six  revivals,  some  of  which  lasted  successive  vears 
with  but  little  intermission  ;  who  added  to  his  church 
more  than  five  hundred  members  gathered  from  the 
world  and  out  of  a  sparse  population  ;  who  formed 
churches  in  all  the  neighboring  townships,  diffused 
the  light  of  education  throughout  the  countv,  pre- 
pared scores  of  voung  men  for  college  and  hundreds 
for  their  various  ])rofessi()ns ;  who  gained  such  an 
influence  among  the  people  that  the  militia  did  not 
meet  without  listening  to  his  pravcrs,  nor  elections 
])roceed  until  he  had  addressed  the  citizens  on  behalf 
of  their  dut\-  and   (lod   on   behalf  of  themselves;   to 


19 

whom  the  poor  came  for  aid,  the  rich  for  counsel,  the 
ignorant  for  light,  and  all  for  sympathy ;  who  stood 
at  the  head  of  the  ministry-  for  judgment  and  wis- 
dom; who  preached  12,000  sermons — many  written 
in  full  or  in  part — each  containing  some  new,  pro- 
found, attractive  thought,  and  who,  when  he  de- 
parted to  heaven,  left  none  upon  earth  that  could 
refuse  to  his  memor}-  the  tribute  of  tears. 

''Bitt  here  we  check  the  strain  of  eulogy.  Were 
he  now  looking  down  on  us  from  his  beatitude,  were 
his  celestial  ear  to  catch  the  words  we  utter,  he 
would  turn  awa}-  from  our  worthless  praise.  He 
entertains  nobler  themes.  He  would  have  us  bless 
God  for  the  life  he  was  permitted  to  spend  here,  for 
the  work  he  was  enabled  to  do,  for  the  glory  of  truth 
by  which  his  life  realized  its  end,  for  the  grace  that 
wrought  in  him,  and  through  him  upon  multitudes 
of  men.  Not  one  note  of  praise  would  he  accept,  if 
it  were  offered  to  anvthing  less  than  the  glorv  ot  the 
blaster.  While,  then,  we  gratefully  recognize  all 
the  qualities  we  have  alreadv  named,  while  we  unite 
our  sentiments  and  our  affections  with  those  of  his 
trraudson,  who  l)ore  his  name  and  inherited  nianv  of 
his  virtues,  whose  devotit)n  to  his  grandfather 
prompted  him  to  proxide  this  lasting  memorial,  as 
he  himself  was  about  to  rejoin  him  in  heaven,  we 
would  rise  to  a  still  higher  theme  ;  we  would  see  in 
the  life  of  the  venerable  servant  of  (lod  the  illustra- 
tion  of  a  ])()wer  which,  however  the  world  overlooks 


THE     CONGREGATIONAL     CHURCH. 


21 


it,  is  reall}'  at  the  foundation  of  all  true  social  happi- 
ness, of  all  vital,  lasting  nationality.  We  mean  the 
religion  of  the  Bible,  as  enforced  and  preached  by  a 
pure  and  qualified  Christian  ministry.  This  thought 
may  be  embodied  in  a  variety  of  formulas.  I  have 
chosen  this:  '  The  pulpit  a  civilizer.'  By  the  pulpit 
in  this  connection  we  mean  the  preacher,  the  pastor, 
the  minister  of  God — we  mean  preaching.  We  take 
the  container  for  the  contained — the  cup  for  that 
which  sparkles  and  glows  within  it.  B3'  civilization 
is  understood  the  condition  in  which  man  is  most 
developed,  not  individually  onlj^,  but  sociall}', 
unitedl}'.  We  believe  in  the  unity  of  the  race,  and 
that  man  is  to  be  elevated  as  a  unit}'.  No  single 
portion  of  mankind  is  ever  permitted  permanently 
to  rise  at  the  expense  of  another  portion.  When 
one  part  of  our  species  gets  from  another  part  more 
than  it  gives,  God  adjusts  their  relations  anew.  This 
is  the  law  of  progress.  Egypt  rejected  this  law;  she 
lived  on  the  sweat  of  other  brows  and  the  agony  of 
other  hearts.  But  the  Red  Sea  washed  out  the 
enormit}' — the  grand  national  lie.  Babylon  tried 
that  abnormal  state,  and  her  grandeur  became  her 
ruin;  the  black  scorpion  basked  in  her  palaces. 
Rome  tried  it,  and  the  blood  of  slaves,  mounting 
into  patrician  life,  coursed  in  the  veins  of  tlie 
Scipios;  and  Rome  went  down  like  a  smitten  giant 
into  the  dust.  We  have  tried  it.  and  our  nation  now 
groans  as  in  death   throes,  and  we  are  giving  back 


22 

the  wealth,  the  power,  the  glory,  which  have  ripened 
for  us  ill  cotton  balls  and  rice  fields.  We  are  wading 
with  broken  chariot  wheels  in  the  Red  Sea  of  sorrow. 
Civilization,  says  Giiizot,  is  progress  in  the  indi- 
vidual and  the  state — physical,  intellectual,  moral. 
The  increase  of  comforts,  of  sentiment,  of  taste,  of 
culture.  A  writer  of  considerable  power  and  correct- 
ness maintains  that  there  is  civilization  where  there 
is  not  progress. 

''  It  is  evident,  however,  that  civilization  is  either 
actual  progress  or  the  result  of  it.  If  a  state  is 
civilized,  it  has  come  out  of  barbarism  and  gone  on 
toward  some  high  goal  of  material,  mental  and  moral 
attainment  into  social  comforts,  into  art  and  science, 
into  knowledge  of  law,  of  property  and  its  uses,  into 
a  juster  view  of  social  and  civil  relations.  'To 
civilize,'  says  Webster,  '  is  to  reclaim  from  a  savage 
state,  to  introduce  among  a  people  civility  of  man- 
ners and  the  arts  of  regular  life.''  Contrast  Great 
Britain  now  with  what  she  was  in  the  time  of  the 
Druids,  and  you  have  the  definition  of  civilization. 
Contrast  the  Indian  tribes  that  roamed  and  hunted 
among  the  mountains  and  lakes  of  New  Hampshire 
a  hundred  years  ago  with  the  population  that  now 
dwells  here,  and  you  have  a  just  idea  of  civilization. 
And  yet  there  are  degrees  of  civilization  as  there  are 
of  haniionv.  In  an  organ  two-thirds  of  the  notes 
may  be  in  accord,  while  the  rest  are  discordant.  So 
ill   the  organism   of  society.      The  varied    elements 


^3__ 

are  discordant,  and  it  is  the  office  of  the  Gospel 
through  the  ministrations  of  the  pnlpit  to  harmonize 
these  elements,  and  lead  men  np  to  a  nobler  life  and 
larger  hope.  Grace  sanctifies  ever}^  affection  and 
hallows  every  tie.  It  is  the  office  of  the  Christian 
minister  not  to  deal  with  dry  formulas,  to  rattle  on 
the  desk  the  skeletons  of  dead  creeds,  to  smother  his 


■^'^aesm^ 


SUMMER   RESIDENCE  OF  CHARLES  H.    DOW,   TAMWORTH  VILLAGE. 


hearers  with  tlic  dust  of  scholastic  championship, 
but  to  stimulate  their  minds  with  truths,  which, 
while  old  as  eternity,  are  ever  new.  To  set  before 
them  not  alone  the  majest}',  the  power,  the  stern 
laws  of  Jehovah,  but  also  to  uuike  them  feel  that 
'  the   beaut}-    of  the    Lord   Our  God  is   upon  them.' 


The  pulpit  is  thus  au  educator  of  the  understanding, 
the  conscience  and  the  heart.  The  clergy-  have  been 
and  still  are  educators  in  a  more  minute  and  super- 
visory manner.  The\'  guarded  learning,  histor}^, 
philosoph}',  even  during  the  ages  of  moral  gloom, 
from  which,  like  morning  from  midnight,  the 
reformation  sprang.  Throughout  the  East,  in 
Europe's  universities  and  libraries,  and  in  our  own 
land,  the  voices,  the  pens,  the  watchfulness  of  the 
ministers  of  God  have  promoted,  and  still  promote, 
learning  and  art.  They  write  the  books,  thev  stim- 
ulate and  control  the  press,  they  give  law  to  litera- 
ture, they  superintend  the  education  of  vouth.  In 
New  England  especially  is  intellectual  culture  under 
the  guiding  minds  of  the  clergy.  Thev  began  the 
w^ork  of  education  at  Plymouth  Rock,  and  among 
these  States  the  people  have  not  yet  been  disposed 
to  set  their  agency  aside.  It  is  this  very  influence 
that  has  gone  forth  in  a  thousand  channels,  spring- 
ing up  in  Western  colleges,  appearing  in  the  books 
and  schools  of  the  nation,  breathed  in  song,  radiant 
in  poetic  conceptions,  thundered  in  oratorv,  sounded 
in  a  thousand  ])ulpits,  revealed  in  the  wisdom  of 
state  papers,  lived  in  the  retreats  of  literary  labor, 
and  in  the  silence  of  cottage  homes.  The  pulpit  is 
an  exponent  of  law. 

"  There  cannot  be  civilization  without  govern- 
ment, this  men  need,  to  this  their  instinct  prompts 
them;  but  those  instincts   must  be  urged  by   stern 


2S 


necessity,  or  aided  by  the  influence  of  example, 
before  they  will  break  the  chains  of  barbarism  and 
bear  man  on  to  organize  national  life.  It  is  the 
work  of  Christianity  to  honor  law.  It  recounts  a 
mighty  sacrifice  for  the  moral  order  of  the  universe. 
It  teaches  that  the  power  is  ordained  of  God.  Legis- 
lators, therefore,  owe  much  to  the  pulpit  for  a  high 
sense  of  law,  and  where  the  preacher  of  divine  truth 
is  bold,  and  honest,  and  enlarged,  where  society  is 
formed  and  taught  under  the  healthful  power  of  the 
decalogue,  under  the  example  of  Christ  and  the 
Apostles,  the  government  is  comparatively  secure. 
Church  and  state  touch  each  other  here.  And  why 
should  thev  not?  There  are  three  divine  institu- 
tions among  men — the  familv,  the  church  and  the 
state.  The\'  are  distinct,  and  yet  united.  The 
family  is  to  be  the  nursery  of  the  church  and  of  the 
state.  The  church  gets  its  materials  naturall}^  from 
the  household,  and  ])y  conquest  from  the  state.  The 
state  receives  its  materials  from  the  family  and  its 
solidness,  its  life,  from  the  church.  This  is  God's 
the()r^^  He  inaugurated  it  in  the  familv  of  Noah, 
repeated  it  in  the  household  of  Abraham,  and  again 
in  the  May  Flower.  But  nuiu  sinks  below  that 
standard,  that  divine  ideal ;  man  labors  downward. 
God  finds  it  necessary  in  successive  epochs  to  lift 
the  race  to  a  higher  platform.  The  base  element 
drags  us  down.  The  Gospel  uplifts,  ennobles,  is 
our  anchor  and  hope. 


26 

"  We  render  all  honor  to  the  pioneers  of  the  New 
Hampshire  pnlpit.  We  speak  with  glad  hearts  and 
grateful  of  those  whose  light  shone  on  the  last  gen- 
eration ;  but  we  do  not  surrender  even  to  them  the 
power  of  the  pulpit  in  these  times.  We  believe 
there  is  more  learning,  more  fervid  eloquence,  better 
knowledge  of  the  Bible  and  equal  piety  now.  We 
have  not  the  Puritanic  magnificence  of  mien,  the 
stern,  rock-like  command,  the  mysterious  distance 
from  secular  things  and  men,  but  we  have  a  pulpit 
that  conies  nearer  to  the  affections,  nearer  to  the 
homes  and  bosoms  of  men,  to  prepare  the  wa}^  for 
which  the  illustrious  Father  Hidden  did  not  a  little. 

''  j\Ian\'  problems  are  ^-et  to  be  solved  in  politics, 
in  science,  in  philosophy  ;  but  the  Gospel  shall  live 
on  unchanged.  Christ  will  adjust  the  world  and 
man  to  it.  The  time  is  at  hand  when  Himself  and 
His  truth  shall  take  their  place  in  the  centre  of  the 
universe,  and  throw  out  their  glories  over  all  minds. 
His  shall  be  the  law.  He  shall  make  all  things  new. 
Till  then  let  us  thank  God  for  the  pulpit.  Let  us 
thank  God  for  such  preachers  as  he  was  whose 
memorv  we  hallow  to-dav.  Let  us  become  such  our- 
selves, and  prav  that  thousands  more  may  arise  like 
him  to  lift  up  the  voice  in  the  wilderness,  to  change 
the  desolate  places  into  Edens,  and  to  glorif}-  the 
work,  the  truth  and  the  holiness  of  God.  Let  this 
old  rock  preach  to  us.  It  is  henceforth  and  forever 
the  propertv  of  histor}-  and  of  the  church.  Let  no 
flood  remove  it  ;   no  force   of  nature  or   man  rend  it 


27 


asunder.  Let  it  speak  to  this  people  of  things  and 
days  most  hoi}'.  Let  them  draw  from  it  the  mem- 
ories of  truth  and  promise.  Let  it  be  to  them  the 
symbol  of  their  faith." 


THE     ORDINATION      ROCK. 


■■()lil  rocU.  (ilil  luck.  IVdin  lliy  iiiouiitiiin   throiu 
In  tlu"  A\vi\{  air,  in  the  uppfr  /.nnv. 
Of  the  ancient  llootl  didsl  tiioii  fcri  th"  sliock, 
As  it  linri(Ml  thee  liitlicr?     <  »l(l  iMck.  uM  rock; 
Is  tlial  tliy  hrollicr  on  I'lyinoiith  shore. 
l'\)rt'V('r  still,  tlio"  tlu'  mad  waves  roar. 
As  thon  art  still  when  the  thunders  knock 
At  thv  un-anite  sides,  old  rock.  oM  rock? 


28 

Tliou  lia.«t  a  lesson  in  tliy  reiiosr 

Of  strifes  and  eon(|uests,  joys  and  woes  ; 

Thou  art  a  preaclier  of  trutii  anil  faitii  ; 

We  come  to  learn  what  the  jjreaclier  saith 

Of  the  olden  days  and  the  holy  men 

Who  walked  with  (iod  in  the  desert  then  ; 

The  hardy  sires  of  a  sterlin<r  stock. 

As  hrave  and  lirm  as  tliy  heart,  old  rock. 

-Vnd  thou  slialt  bear  to  the  comin>r  a^e 
A  thought,  a  life,  on  thy  solid  ])age, 
.\nd  men  shall  say,  as  they  nuise  alone, 
(iod's  linger  liatli  touched  this  gray  old  stone. 
Rock  in  the  wilderness  once  wast  thou, 
K(jck  of  the  church  and  of  history  now  : 
Here  shalt  thou  I'est  till  the  linal  shock, 
Ty]ie  of  our  liope,  old  I'ock.  (iod's  rock."' 

Tamworth  occupies  a  unique  position  among  her 
sister  towns  in  Northern  New  Hampshire,  almost 
surrounded  by  mountains,  3^et  having  none  within 
her  borders  ;  abundantly'  blessed  with  hills,  from 
whose  sides  gush  springs  of  never-failing  water  to 
quench  the  thirst  of  flocks  and  herds  and  feed  the 
brooks  that  go  singing  their  wav  through  the  val- 
leys to  the  rivers,  forming  manv  a  sly  nook,  where 
the  spotted  beauties  retreat  as  the  modern  Isaac 
Walton  draws  near;  hills  from  whose  tops  nature 
spreads  out  such  a  panorama  of  loveliness  that  it 
exhausts  the  adjectives  of  the  young  and  silences 
those  to  whom  words  fail  to  express  the  beauty; 
hills,  fiDrest  clad,  whose  variegated  foliage,  mingled 
with  the  bloom  of  spring  and  gorgeous  colors  of 
autumn,  charm  the  eve  and  inspire  the  poetic  spirit 
to  love  and  aspiration  ;   forests  where  the  maple,  oak 


29 


ROAD     VIEW. 


and  elm  vie  with  each  other  in  spreading  out  their 
protecting  green  arms  over  all  who  need  shelter  from 
the  snn\s  rays,  and  affording  homes  for  the  natural 
occupants  of  the  woods ;  forests  where  the  fir,  spruce 
and  pine,  in  close  bond  of  fellowship,  protect  the 
"  sta^^-at-homes  "  from  the  cold  blasts  of  winter,  and 
in  whose  dense  shade  the  wearied  city  pilgrim  can 
lie  upon  a  soft  bed  of  moss  or  pine  needles,  and,  as 
Emerson  savs,  hear 


■•The  ( luds  talk  in  llir  hrcalli  of  tlic  won.U. 

Tlicv  talk  in  the  shaken  pine. 
And  nil  the  !()n<r  reach  of  the  clij  -ea.-hore 

With  dialou'ue  <liviiir. 


30 

"And  the  poet  who  overlieare 

Some  raiidoin  word  they  wiy, 
Is  the  fated  man  of  men 

Wliom  the  a^'es  must  obey." 

Pen  can  not  describe  nor  words  portray  the 
beauties,  the  charms,  the  melodious  cadences  of 
nature  as  seen  and  heard  in  the  forests  of  Tani- 
worth.  If  we  visit  them  at  dawn  of  day  the  stillness 
is  almost  painful,  but  when  the  tops  of  the  trees  first 
catch  the  rays  of  the  morning  sun,  everything  that 
hath  life  bursts  forth  in  rapturous  welcome  to  a  new 
day  ;  the  birds  and  squirrels  in  the  tree  tops  seem  to 
lead  the  grand  orchestra,  which,  without  the  usual 
painful  process  of  tuning,  harmoniously  sends  up  a 
p£eon  of  joyous  praise  to  the  Great  Creator.  Again 
at  eventide,  as  the  waning  twilight  slowly  fades  into 
the  gloom  of  night,  nature's  orchestra  closes  the  day 
with  a  similar  outburst  of  melodious  song,  only  the 
evening  concert  is  prolonged  b}^  the  answering  notes 
of  the  sparrows  and  the  plaintive  tones  of  the 
cricket,  the  owl  and  the  whippoorwill.  So  liquid  are 
the  notes  of  this  sparrow,  and  so  full  of  melod}^  that 
the  twig  he  tilted  on  seemed  a  conductor  through 
whicli  the  mingled  magnetism  of  brook  and  forest 
flowed  into  him  and  were  ])recipitated  in  song.  He 
who  would  enjov  to  the  fullest  this  high  mass  in 
nature's  grand  cathedral  must  enter  the  forest  aisles 
silentlv  and  reverentlv  ;  then,  unobserved,  he  may 
])articipale  in  that  grand  chorus  which    raises  to  the 


Creator  the    most  sanctified    of    praise.     From  the 
highways   of  Tamworth,  Chocorua  presents  a  great 
variety  of  charming  views,  and  soon   becomes  to  the 
lover  of  nature  a  delightful  personalit}" ;  catches  his 
eye  from  every  turn  in  the  road  and  gives  a  different 
aspect  from  ever}'  hilltop.     At  its  base  to  the  south- 
east  is   a  pretty   body   of  water  bearing   its    name, 
which,    as    the    sun    declines,   often   through  fleecy 
clouds   mirrors  on  its  placid   bosom,  in   perfect  har- 
mony of  green  and  gold,  the  mountain  and  adjacent 
forests.     It  is  worth  a  season's  watching   to   catch  a 
glimpse   of  such    a   marvelous    displa\'    of   reflected 
color  and  beauty,  as  the  writer  once  beheld  from  its 
shore.     Silver  Lake,  or  White  Pond,  situated  on  the 
plains   near   the    road   leading  from  the  railroad  sta- 
tion  to  the  village,  is  one   of  the  prettiest  bodies  of 
water    in   the   world.      It   is    fed    almost   whollv    b}- 
springs  near  its  centre,  has  a  smooth,  rockless  beach, 
clear,  transparent,  sparkling  water,  in  which    a    car- 
riage can  be  driven   nearly  round  it  with  safety  and 
satisfaction   to  man   and  beast.     The  day   is  near  at 
hand  when   its   beauties   so   lavishly  spread  out  will 
be  utilized  and  a  carriage  drive   constructed   around 
it,  with    bathing    houses    and    boats    in    a1)undance. 
The  points    of  interest  in  the  town  are  ver\-  numer- 
ous, and  the  lovers  of  nature  will  here  find  delii^htful 
occupation.      The    roads    are   excellent    and    usually 
kept  in  good  repair.   The  rushing  mountain  torrents 
which,  leaping  down  the  shar])  declivities,  have   laid 
bare   the    massive    rock  which  now  forms  their  bed  ; 


32 


UPPER     WONALANCET     FALLS. 


the  babbling  brooks,  forming  cascades  and  pools 
among  the  giant  boulders,  left  here  and  there  as 
memorials  of  the  great  ice  period,  interest  and  soothe 
those  who  ride  or  walk  beside  them.  Xo  malaria 
lingers  round  the  streams  and  meadows  of  Tam- 
worth,  and  though  St.  Patrick  never  visited  the 
town,  there  are  no  harmful  reptiles  within  her  bor- 
ders. The  soil  does  not  reflect  the  heat,  as  would 
sandy  soil  ;  hence,  when  the  sun  declines,  it  quickly 
becomes  cool,  and   a  hot  night  is  very  rarely  exper- 


33 

ienced.  The  air  is  dry  and  invigorating.  Said  a 
visitor :  ''  I  never  realized  what  the  Psalmist  meant 
when  he  said,  '  O  God,  for  the  strength  of  the  hills 
we  thank  Thee,'  nntil  I  looked  upon  these  hills  and 
breathed  this  pure,  life-giving  air." 

To  those  who  desire  to  renew  their  ^-outh  and 
recuperate  their  exhausted  energies  by  air  and  exer- 
cise, with  good,  wholesome  food.  Tamworth  affords  a 


WIGGIN      HOUSE. 


superior  environment.  Her  hotels  and  cottages 
have  been  enlarged  and  improved  from  year  to  \-ear  ; 
farmers  have  opened  their  homes  to  summer  visitors, 
and  are  making  efforts  to  supply  early  vegetables, 
&c.  She  offers  special  inducements  to  those  seeking 
country  homes. 


34 


SUMMER     RESIDENCE     OF     MRS.     GIGNOUX. 
TAMWORTH     IRON     WORKS. 


Ill  the  eastern  section  of  the  town,  especially, 
there  is  a  boom  in  real  estate,  which  promises  to 
increase  and  extend  to  all  parts  of  the  town.  Farms 
and  attractive  building  lots  and  bnilding  materials 
are  snrprisiiioly  chea]).  People  are  beginniiii^  to 
realize  the  fact  that  the  greatest  need  of  the  well- 
to-do  citv  family  is  a  conntrv  home,  where  they  can 
spend  the  snminer  and  return  in  the  fall,  free  from 
that  class  of  ailments  incident  to  the  heated  term 
and  ])hvsicallv  strong  f)r  the  active  duties  ot  city 
life.  Parents  can  make  no  investment  for  their 
children  that  will  be  of  so  much  hel])  to  them  all 
through  life  as  to  give  them  the  freedom  and  exer- 
cise of  outdoor   conntrv  life  during  the  summer.      It 


_.  35 

has  been  truly  said  that  our  cities  have  never  bred 
their  own  giants.  They  who  have  towered  to  pre- 
eminence amono-  their  fellows  in  the  professions  or 
in  the  busy  marts  of  commerce,  the  most  healthful, 
energetic  and  enterprising  citizens,  were  once  coun- 
tr}-  boys  and  girls  ;  and  if  we  are  to  maintain  in  our 
children  the  same  physical  stamina,  we  must  give 
them  the  same  experience  with  old  Mother  Earth. 

The  familiar  and  attractive  Chocorua  grows  more 
and  more  interesting  as  we  approach  the  top.  A 
carriage  road  has  been  constructed  almost  to  its  base 
and  a  stone  house  been  built  there  to  accommodate 
those  who  wish  to  refresh  themselves  or  remain  to 
see  the  sun  set  and  rise  in  all  its  elorv. 


TIP     TOP     VIEW     OF     CHOCORUA. 


The  view  from  the  top  of  Chocoriia  well  pays  the 
effort  made  in  the  ascent,  and  surpasses  that  of  any 
other  peak  in  the  variety  and  grandeur  of  scenery. 
Not  onh"  do  we  behold    mountains  piled  together  in 


WONALANCET     FARM      HOUSE. 
MISS    SLEEPERS 


niassixc  niaiestw  witli  lavish  prodigalitw  as  thonoh 
they  were  a  "very  little  thing"  to  the  Great  Creator, 
but  interspersed  among  the  hills  and  valleys,  the 
forests  and  green  meadows,  lie  more  than  a  score  of 
lakes   and    ponds,    in    full  view,  giving  variety  with 


37 

most  fascinating  contrasts.  x\nd  when  the  early 
autumn  days  tint  the  whole  picture,  the  variety  and 
harmony  of  color  surpass  any  possible  description  or 
conception  of  the  imagination.  The  highest  and 
most  inaccessible  of  the  neighboring  mountains, 
Passaconaway.  was  explored  last  season,  and  through 
the  influence  of  the  enthusiastic  proprietress  of 
"  Wonalancet "  Farm,  a  road  was  opened  to  its  sum- 
mit. Indeed,  that  corner  of  the  town  has  taken  on 
"  a  new  life."  The  Wonalancet  Union  Chapel,  fres- 
coed and  painted,  has  become  the  centre  of  an  organi- 
zation which  promises  well  for  the  future.  The  old 
farm  house  has  grown  to  be  a  rustic  paradise,  where 
many  a  city  pilgrim  has  found  health  and  comfort ; 
which  shows  what  an  influence  a  refined,  intelligent 
and  enthusiastic  3^oung  lad\'  can  exert,  as  a  farmer, 
in  a  farming  community. 

We  present  photographic  views  of  the  old  and  the 
new,  showing  the  improvements  that  have  been 
made  as  an  example  of  what  is  to  1)e  on  a  larger 
scale,  and  views  of  scenerv  old  and  yet  ever  new 
with  each  returning  season,  hoping  to  give  the 
reader  some  idea  of  what  is  and  is  to  be  in  the  near 
future  in  this  interesting  old  town. 

We  close  with  a  few  lines  linking  the  past  and 
present  in  the  history  of  the  "Old  Rock." 


38 


To  this  rufXfied  old  rock  our  forcfatluMX-aiiie 

One  ct'iit'rv  a<:o,  midst  the  earthV  desolation. 
To  form  liere  a  cluircli,  and  ordain  in  His  name 

One.  to  tell  them  of  Him  who  ri'deemetii  our  nation  ; 
That  the  banner  of  .h'sus  should  here  he  unfurled, 

And  the  seed  here  l>e  sown  that  shall  contiuer  the  world  ; 
And  the  hanner  of  Jesus  those  i)iltrrims  unfurled. 

As  they  sent  forth  tiieir  loved  oni's  to  leaven  the  world. 

We  come  here  to-day,  and  how  wondrous  the  chanL'e. 

'■  The  Roi'k,"'  decked  with  marble,  is  vocal  with  L'lory, 
While  rocks,  hills  and  plain,  with  the  vast  mountain  rantre, 

Rt'-echo  our  sonars  and  repeat  the  ^lad  story — 
How  this  servant  of  ( iod  so  untirin<_dy  wrou<rht. 

That  the  whole  reixion  round  heard  tiie  word,  and  besouy;ht 
That  till'  banner  of  .lesus  in  triumjih  miij;ht  wave 

0"er  the  homes  of  our  country,  most  mii:hty  to  save. 

I  lis  life,  in  the  lives  of  this  peojile  enshrined. 

liecame  jxitent  in  mouliliii'j:  his  own  <jreneration  ; 
( iave  impulse  to  )ireachei's  and  teachers.  I'clined. 

Who  tauuht  anil  proclaimed  to  tiie  youth  of  our  nation. 
That  thc(los|H'i  of, lesus  true  freedom  imparts. 

Mxalteth  our  nature  an<l  cleanseth  our  hearts  ; 
That  the  banner  (if  .icsus.  those  iiil<_M-ims  unfurled 

()ii  this  famous  old  rock,  shall  yet  coui|Uer  the  woi-ld. 


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